Buying used Volvo, worth it?

I'm in the market for a brand used car but don't have a lot of dough to spend. In my price range (a measly $2500) I'm seeing quite a few '01-'02 Volvo S60's and S80's. They look quite nice for my price range, but everyone is telling me that they are expensive to maintain.

The cars I am looking at are in the 120k-180k mile range, and I'd really appreciate some advice going in to this purchase. Are these cars really that expensive to maintain? Should I go for something like a Honda or a Toyota instead? I don't plan on having this car for terribly long (should graduate in 2-3 years) but I would like to get a car that is reliable and economical.

Comments

I'm in the market for a brand used car but don't have a lot of dough to spend. In my price range (a measly $2500) I'm seeing quite a few '01-'02 Volvo S60's and S80's. They look quite nice for my price range, but everyone is telling me that they are expensive to maintain.

The cars I am looking at are in the 120k-180k mile range, and I'd really appreciate some advice going in to this purchase. Are these cars really that expensive to maintain? Should I go for something like a Honda or a Toyota instead? I don't plan on having this car for terribly long (should graduate in 2-3 years) but I would like to get a car that is reliable and economical.

I certainly wouldn't buy an old $2500 Volvo without having a mechanic look it over thoroughly. You have to keep in mind that a $2500 Volvo that needs tires and brakes is a $4000 Volvo. It would be quite fortuitous to find a $2500 car that didn't need any further work done to it.

A Toyota would be a better choice but you'd probably have to pay more for one--the market is smart, it prices things according to risk.